NAIROBI: India's Bharti Airtel announced this week it has officially been awarded the 2G and 3G GSM mobile licenses in Rwanda, its Kenyan office said. The move will increase its Africa presence to 17 countries and the company said in a statement that they are looking forward to the move into “one of the fastest growing telecom markets in Africa.” According to the same statement, the company plans to invest over $100 million in Rwanda over the coming three years and hopes to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities in the country. “We are entering an exciting era in telecommunications in Rwanda, which entails bringing advanced broadband wireless services at more competitive prices,” the statement said. An assistant to Rwanda's ICT Minister Ignace Gatare told Bikyamasr.com/IT News Africa that the move will be the largest from an Indian company into the country. “We are very excited about the future of telecom and working with Indian companies,” said the assistant. Bharti's Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Mittal said that “Rwanda is a key telecom market with immense growth potential and will strengthen Bharti Airtel's footprint in East Africa.” BM
